ATSC 3.0 goes live!
Published:Wednesday | February 2, 2022 | 12:13 AM
Noting the time of 6:35 p.m., RJRGLEANER Group CEO Gary Allen gave the nod to Minister without Portfolio Robert Morgan to punch the button on Monday representing the transition to a digital age for television broadcasting in Jamaica.
The RJRGLEANER Group is hitching its wagon to ATSC 3.0, making Jamaica the third country in the world, the others being USA and South Korea, to adopt the television broadcasting standard.
Speaking while guiding a tour of facilities, Claire Clarke-Grant, manager of broadcast services, said the RJRGLEANER Group was keen on delivering on the Government’s mandate of having digital switchover (DSO) beginning January 2022.
In January 2021, then Information Minister Fayval Williams had mandated that all free-to air operators be required to switch to ATSC 3.0 as part of the DSO strategy.
Seeking to frame the historic nature of the moment, Clarke-Grant said the switchover was the most monumental shift in television broadcasting for generations.
“It just doesn’t get any bigger than this. To be working in media at this point in time when this kind of transitioning is happening is not comparable to anything else. I think the last time we had something that shook up television in this way was television going from black and white to colour,” Clarke-Grant said.
Clarke-Grant said the possibilities for viewers and advertisers are immense, as the switching over to ATSC 3.0 offered an opportunity to merge television broadcasting with the Internet. The group executive said that with full implementation, viewers would enjoy a richer, more immersive experience with more channels and variety on a free platform.
Viewers will also have access to data transfers, which may help in the delivery of educational material.
Clarke-Grant said about US$7 million has already been spent on the necessary upgrades. By the time the other improvements are implemented, the RJRGLEANER Group would have spent another US$5 million for a total topping US$12 million.
Commenting on the significance of the switch, Morgan said the implementation of ATSC 3.0 represented “a proof of concept” that the policy of DSO is good for Jamaica.
“It’s not just about Television Jamaica and the RJRGLEANER Group putting in new technology to boost revenue, it’s also about Jamaica being in a position to offer services not offered before,” Morgan said, predicting that the implementation of the new technology would further democratise the sharing of information to persons who never had it before.